In the last thirteen articles I have tried to give an account of the life and work of Gustave Moreau (1826–1898).

Early in his career, Moreau made a conscious decision to be a history painter, and to change the nature of history painting by making it less theatrical. Although he created many wonderful paintings, I think that it is fair to say that they are richer in symbols than in story. There is also considerable evidence that he influenced painting in the latter half of the nineteenth century, and well into the twentieth, but that was not because he had caused any general change in the painting of narrative.

Looking back now, I think that his paintings prepared the way for two significant events in the history of art: symbolism, as seen in Odilon Redon and others, and the adoption of Salome as a femme fatale rather than a secondary character in the story of Herod, Herodias, and John the Baptist. Although the latter may not seem that significant, it is an almost unique example of visual art changing verbal narrative, and brought about an important cultural phenomenon.

There can be no doubt that Moreau’s paintings were important, as well as many being wonderful works of art in their own right.

Here, then, is an index to the previous articles in this series, together with what I think are his most important and wonderful paintings.